It was about a year ago that the UConn Huskies (the men’s basketball version, of course) were celebrating their third NCAA Championship in 12 years. While not a distant memory, their recent troubles have certainly killed any and all buzz surrounding the program. The Huskies are struggling to make the tourney this year. On top of that, years of academic issues have caught up to them, and they’re not eligible for the postseason next year. These are all issues that could potentially put the program in the ditch for a couple of years.
The school is on the attack, they’re trying to counter the 2013 postseason ban by proposing the following (h/t NBC Hartford)
-Forfeiting its share of revenue generated by Big East schools participating in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
-Eliminating exhibition games and instead spending that time in study hall.
-Reducing the number of regular season games in 2012-13. UConn would schedule 23 games plus one exempt tournament (in this case, the three-game Paradise Jam) and therefore play 26 games. Under normal NCAA rules, UConn would be able to play 27 games plus the three-game tournament (30 games). The school is proposing a reduction of four regular-season games. That time not playing basketball, three hours a game, would also be spent on academics.
-Barring coach Jim Calhoun from making off-campus visits to recruits during the autumn contact period.
-Have Calhoun bring a current or former NBA player who has completed his undergraduate degree to inner-city schools for a series of sessions to stress the importance of academics.
WEAK…
UConn really has no way out of this. They’re not only under the academic fist, but the school has had compliance issues to boot. The program is slowly dying, and there is nothing they can do.
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